French bulldog puppy born green in rare phenomenon. ‘Thought it was dirty or something’
In a litter of seven blueish-gray French bulldog puppies, one caught this Louisiana dog breeder’s eye.
The tiny puppy looked just like her brothers and sisters, except for one important difference.
Her fur was bright green.
“When I first saw the dog, I was like, I thought it was dirty or something,” the breeder, Mark Ruffin, who owns Big Rajah Bullies, told WBRC Fox 6 News. Ruffin is based in Louisiana, but has a pet store in Helena, Alabama, about 20 miles south of Birmingham.
He said he tried to clean the puppy, who was born on Sept. 19, at least four times that night, wiping her up and down to no avail.
“I let the mother clean it because they’re even better at cleaning with their tongues,” he said on the Good Day Alabama show. “It just never went away.”
He said not even the veterinarian knew why the puppy to had green fur.
But a a rare phenomenon can cause some naturally light-colored dogs to be born with green-tinted coats, according to Breeding Business, a website with information for dog breeders. The phenomenon occurs when the puppy comes into contact with a substance called Biliverdin, which is found in an animal’s bile, while in utero.
Usually, weaker puppies within a litter are the ones susceptible to the pigmentation, according to the website.
“These pups change color over the gestation period, resulting in green dogs being born,” the site says. “Though this is extremely rare, it can happen to almost any dog.”
Green puppies have made headlines around the world.
In 2012, a green-tinted labrador retriever named “Hulk” was born in the U.K., according to the Daily Mail. In 2017, CNN reported on a golden retriever puppy named “Forest” born green in the Scottish Highlands.
Over time, these unique puppies’ pigmentation will fade, and their fur will return to its natural color.
But for now, Ruffin’s puppy, who he named Khloe, gets to keep her nickname as “the little green princess,” he told WBRC.
This story was originally published September 27, 2022 at 1:50 PM.